There’s something about a contract year that can turn good players into great ones. We’ve seen it time and time again—call it the “payday push.”
But for Pete Alonso, 2025 isn’t just a typical contract-year surge. It’s a transformation, a kind of baseball metamorphosis that has turned a power-hitting first baseman into the beating heart of the New York Mets‘ offense.
From Slugger to Superstar
Alonso has always been known for his raw power—the kind of bat speed that echoes through the ballpark and sends opposing pitchers back to the drawing board.
But this year, he’s not just clubbing homers; he’s controlling the strike zone, getting on base at a ridiculous rate, and driving the ball with surgical precision.
If his past seasons were like a fireworks show—loud, flashy, and a little streaky—2025 has been a symphony. There’s rhythm to his approach now, a mature patience that suggests this isn’t a hot streak, but rather the new normal.
Dominating the National League
Alonso didn’t just win the NL Player of the Month Award—he practically walked away with it. His NL-leading OPS isn’t just a number on top of a leaderboard; it’s a canyon separating him from the rest of the league.
Pete Alonso leads the National League in OPS by over 150 points 😳 pic.twitter.com/vO6b4dSrXx
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) May 6, 2025
We’re talking nearly a .150-point gap. To put that into perspective, that’s like running a marathon and finishing five miles ahead of second place.
And yes, even Shohei Ohtani—baseball’s two-way unicorn—is trailing in the rearview mirror. When it comes to blending power with on-base prowess, Alonso is in a league of his own.
Batting Average and Beyond
Sure, a .349 batting average raises some eyebrows. It’s fair to expect that number to drift downward as the season unfolds—batting averages tend to be volatile, like trying to hold water in your hands.
But even if that regresses, the skills Alonso has added aren’t evaporating. His plate discipline, his ability to hit for power to all fields, his knack for capitalizing on pitchers’ mistakes—those are bankable tools.
Earning Every Penny
With each towering home run and every multi-hit game, Alonso is stacking zeros onto his next contract. But he’s not playing like a man chasing a payday. He’s playing like a man chasing a championship.
For now, the Mets have a version of Alonso that no one saw coming: the MVPete edition.
And in a city that demands greatness, he’s delivering just that.